Why Google Analytics is Important to Your Association Website

You have Google Analytics data, but how do I make sure your website is performing? How do you report data to your board of directors and your boss? How do you know if you have a good bounce rate or even what is a bounce rate? These are all questions we’ve heard before when it comes to managing your website and you should be prepared to address those questions by using and understanding Google Analytics.

What is Google Analytics?

Screenshot of Google Analytics dashboard

Google Analytics is an incredibly powerful and free tool to measure and track your website and the visitor interactions while on your website. Understanding the data that comes from your website can be difficult, but it’s important you stay up to speed on the area where you can make improvements, find new business or generate revenue. Here is a list of the essential data that Google Analytics will give your organization:

Where your visitors are coming from – Very important if you’re using website data to help determine targeted marketing campaign or to grow membership in a particular state or geo-location.

What device was your user on when they visited your website – Mobile has been an extremely hot topic over the last few years, but not all associations have made the conversion to mobile-friendly responsive website. By reviewing the device your visitor used to come to your website, you can determine the impact that might be having on your effectiveness of your website.

How your visitors found your website – It shows if visitors found your site via your primary domain, through a referral from another website, or from search engines. Being a member-centric organization, keeping track of member vs. non-member users is an important skill to have.

What keywords were used by visitors to find your website – This is very important search engine optimization factor – specifically with industry or community long-tail search terms. Knowing which words people are searching for to get to your site determines if you are on the right road to success.

Need Help?

If your organization is like many and need assistance with getting started or diving into Google Analytics, please don’t hesitate to reach out to 20 Associations.